Established in 1974 by Andrew Pirie,
Pipers Brook is the dominant force in Tasmanian wine. Tasmania is
what’s known in the trade as ‘cool climate’. Cool climates were
all the rage in Australia a while back, because the Aussies were
sensitive about criticisms that their wines weren’t subtle or
complex enough. This led to people poring over heat summation charts,
looking for regions that had an average daily temperature closer to
that of the classic European regions, such as Burgundy. The problem is
that heat summation data don’t tell the whole story, and these
Aussie cool climate regions often had great difficulty getting the
grapes to reach physiological ripeness. It’s a balancing act, and in
some vintages producing ripe Tasmanian grapes can be a real problem.
Nonetheless, Pipers Brook has been a tremendous success and has
expanded considerably. Production is now 60 000 cases per year, from
over 220 hectares of vineyards. There are two labels: the second label
Ninth Island, and the estate wines labelled as Pipers Brook.

Ninth
Island Sauvignon Blanc 2000There’s a distinct herby, grassy edge to the nose. Touch of
tinned pea character on the palate. Fresh, with just a touch of
unripeness? Good

Ninth
Island Sauvignon Blanc 2001Very bright modern boiled sweets nose leads to a crisp, modern
palate. Full flavoured with a touch of grassiness. Good/very good

Pipers
Brook Gewürztraminer 2000Striking peachy/floral nose is quite pretty, with a grapy, musky
edge. Rounded texture on the palate. Quite rich, interesting and with
some varietal character. Very good+

Pipers
Brook Chardonnay 2000Herby, intense fruit with a nutty edge and a bit of tinned pea
character. Palate shows more tinned pea character hinting at a tiny
bit of unripeness. Good intensity and quite fresh, but I’m not
terribly keen on this. Good/very good

Pipers
Brook Pinot Noir 2000There’s some savoury complexity to the sweet cherry and berry
fruit. Quite primary still on the palate with a nice herby edge. Some
interest here. Very good+

Pipers
Brook Reserve Pinot Noir 1999This ambitious wine shows caramel and herb-edged complexity to the
nose. The palate is savoury with herbal fruit and high acidity. Not
terribly fruit driven, and perhaps with a tiny bit of greenness poking
through. Very good+

Pipers
Brook ‘The Lyre’ Pinot Noir 1999A single-site wine. Some spicy, herby complexity to the nose. The
palate is quite structured with a savoury, herbal character, high acid
and some slightly stalky tannins. Potential for development here? Very
good+

Pipers
Brook Cabernet 1999Very deep coloured. Sweet herb and caramel notes dominate the nose
with a touch of tar and menthol. Great concentration on the palate,
which is chunky and caramel-edged with good acidity. Stern and savoury.
Very good